Albuquerque, N.M. – Today, the Trump administration put a stay on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule and extended a 90-day stay to two years on the Environmental Protection Agency’s methane rule. This impacts New Mexicans directly due to the Four Corner’s “hot spot,” a cloud of methane the size of Delaware, hanging over the San Juan Basin. Conservation Voters New Mexico Education Fund Program Director Molly Sanders released the following statement:

“New Mexicans are directly impacted by the Trump administration’s reckless action today to allow the oil and gas industry to release methane into the air we breathe unchecked, which will impact our rural, indigenous, low-income and Latino communities significantly. Just last month, Congress rejected this type of special interest pandering with a bipartisan vote. The Trump administration has shown a dangerous disregard for the health and wellbeing of New Mexicans and today’s actions take it to a new low. In light of these dangerous actions at the federal level, we urge our state decision-makers to address methane pollution and protect the health of our families.”